Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Bundt, what’s matcha?

Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

Matcha is what I used to make the marbled part of this bundt cake green. Matcha is a fine powdered green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies or, in this case used to help me celebrate an Irish Holiday. (Happy St. Pat’s everyone!) Makes sense to me. I mean it is green. I’ve actually been wanting to try this unusual ingredient ever since I saw this matcha loaf cake on Fresh From the Oven’s website. The color was so beautiful and I had never seen anything like it. So, it went straight on my “to try” list. You can check out her recipe here or the one I used below.

First, I greased a 10-cup Bundt Pan. (But, based on the amount of batter I had, I really needed a 12-cup. I’ll tell you why in a minute.)

Crisco Coated Bundt Pan

After greasing with Crisco, I dusted it with cocoa. Using cocoa instead of flour helps to keep white specks from showing up on chocolate cakes when you remove them from the pan. You can also probably get away with Pam if you have a regular Bundt pan. However, this pan has so many grooves, the first time I made it, the cake just stuck to the sides. I was forced to dump it in a bowl and spoon feed myself chunks of cake. I know… terrible. Terribly good!

Cocoa Coated Bundt pan

Below is the matcha I used. I found it at Whole Foods. YAY! I don’t really know anything about matcha, so I am assuming it’s okay. The cake tasted great, so it’s good enough for me. But, if any matcha experts are out there, feel free to give me the lo-down.

Matcha Powder

Here it is next to the cocoa I used. It was Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa and it was yummy.

Matcha & Cocoa Powder

Follow the recipe below to create the two batters and then drop alternating spoonfuls into the bundt pan.

Chocolate Matcha Cake Batter

And if you want it to look more “marbled,” then take a knife and gently run it through the batter in a swirling motion. Just once or twice should be good enough.

Chocolate Matcha Cake Batter

Pretty! Now, take a good look at the above picture. I filled the pan with a little too much of the batter because it overflowed from the pan and then sank a little. Okay, it fell! Boo Hoo! So either use a 12-cup Bundt or use some of the batter and make a batch of cupcakes.

I managed to salvage it enough to get some pictures though.

Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

The cake was really, really good. It was dense and moist. It’s especially good still warm. So good, that it didn’t even need frosting.

Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

Chocolate Mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Matcha mixture
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 Tbsp matcha powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Grease and flour (or cocoa) a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. (If using a 10-cup pan, you can reserve any extra batter for cupcakes.)
  • With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
  • In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture.
  • Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls.
  • Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
  • Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
  • Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into the bundt pan until it’s about 3/4 full.
  • For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion. (Once or twice will do the trick.)
  • Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Also, here’s a bunch of Bundt pans and my favorite Bundt Classics Cookbook.
And here’s some other brands of matcha.

101
Jodi said...

My 11-year-old daughter and I made this cake last night. Couldn’t resist combining celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the green tea (matcha) that I just brought back from Japan. The cake came out delicious!

But a question for you. When we were making it the “green” side was much too soupy, likely as it had less dry ingredients than on the chocolate side – 1/2 c of cocoa compared to just 3 tablespoons of green tea. We compensated by adding another 1/2 cup of floor to the green tea batter.

Did you have this issue and did we actually need to add the extra flour?

March 19, 2009 12:07 AM
102
Jenny said...

This looks amazing. Recently saw another post on matcha cupcakes with matching green frosting; if I can find it again, I’ll send it along! Matcha seems to be all the rage lately, especially combined with cocoa.

March 19, 2009 01:32 AM
103
Bakerella said...

Astrid s- thanks a bunch!

Melanie – thanks. I have that book, so I’ll look it up.

Ashley – now I need a Jamba Juice

Little Miss Mel – thanks

The Lake’s – try this

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/07/pops-for-purpose.html

Jodi – YAY! My matcha batter was still thick, but not as thick as the chocolate. Take another look at the pics and you can see the consistency.

March 19, 2009 02:40 AM
104
Sweet Kitchen said...

What a great idea mixing the matcha with the chocolate. I bet it was delicious!

March 19, 2009 03:28 AM
105
Lacey said...

oooo! that looks really yummy & fun! can't wait to try it!

March 19, 2009 03:37 AM
106
Pholesha, yes it's ME! said...

At home one day watching MS and there you were, I almost fell out of my chair. I check in on you from time to time. So proud of you!! I’m coming to town very soon. Would love to catch up if you’re around. Pholesha

March 19, 2009 05:43 AM
107
Twolly said...

My family is known for their “Green Cake” which is just a pistachio bundt. I wonder how this would fit in, possibly as a substitute for the matcha?

March 19, 2009 05:58 AM
108
Emily said...

looks yummy. But does the matcha in the cake taste like? Wish I had somebody serve me this now.

March 19, 2009 07:03 AM
109
Latifa said...

love it, i’m a matcha fan

March 19, 2009 09:07 AM
110
Little Miss Quynh said...

ohhh i love it. it makes me think you could do a chocolate and pink swirled version for valentine’s day…or just because. :) i’m so making this cake this weekend!

March 19, 2009 03:08 PM
111
Jen said...

This is great idea for St. Patty’s Day. Matcha is all the rage now so I decided to do a little research. Apparently it has 137 times greater the amount of EGCG available in regular green tea. Apparently EGCC is the stuff that makes green tea healthy. So does this mean that eating Bundt cake with Matcha is healthier than broccoli? :)

March 19, 2009 05:55 PM
112
Kiridokai said...

Hi! I’m new to your blog and I wanted to let you know that I will be trying your Hello Kitty Pops very soon! Also, I love the matcha cake! I’m going to give it a try if I ever come across the matcha! Thank you for sharing!

March 19, 2009 06:33 PM
113
Adrienne said...

This would be delish with baily’s irish cream buttercream slathered all over it. Although it sounds pretty delectable as is! Beautiful!

March 19, 2009 06:40 PM
114
Zeus said...

This is so much better than designing a four-leaf clover on a cheesecake using colored sugar. I can’t wait to try this!

March 19, 2009 09:41 PM
115
StuffCooksWant said...

Very interesting idea! What kind of taste does that add to the cake? Must try.

March 19, 2009 10:06 PM
116
Bakerella said...

Pholesha, yes it’s ME! – I’ll be around. Can’t wait to see you.

Emily – green tea

Little Miss Quynh – yes, yes. That would be pretty!

Jen – Good, I’m going to have another piece, then.

StuffCooksWant – it wasn’t very strong. I think I needed a stronger matcha powder.

March 20, 2009 02:12 AM
117
Cheryl Wray said...

This looks SO good!!!!

March 20, 2009 03:53 AM
118
Mytutorlist.com said...

Bakerella, I featured this site on my blog post today about the prettiest blogs on the web. I just love how your blog design makes your photographs really pop!

http://mytutorlist.blogspot.com

March 20, 2009 04:13 AM
119
Anonymous said...

that looks really good1! it’s will be good if I use the regular green tea ?
coz,I don’t think I will find some matcha here

March 20, 2009 03:39 PM
120
The Food Librarian said...

How fantastic! I should have done this! I’m Japanese American and love matcha flavored stuff – it would have been the perfect combo to celebrate St. P’s day! Your bundt is just beautiful!!!

March 20, 2009 05:42 PM
121
Stephanie said...

I LOVE this! It turned out with such beautiful colors. Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never heard of matcha before.

March 20, 2009 06:29 PM
122
Sara said...

Bakerella, quick question….I LOVE your photos, but I’m curious how you get them to post in such a large size on blogger? Just curious. :-)

Thanks!!

Sara

March 20, 2009 09:49 PM
123
Jennifer said...

I had never heard of matcha: is it a light tea flavor or strong?

March 20, 2009 11:50 PM
124
Through My Kitchen Window said...

Yum. Your photos are simply incredible.

March 21, 2009 11:22 AM
125
Tanyia said...

I am super sure you have received tons of awards, but I just wanted to share one with you as a way of saying thanks for all you do!

http://xsurvivingmotherhoodx.blogspot.com/

March 21, 2009 01:22 PM
126
Joy said...

For all of those wanting to buy matcha, a good/reliable source is Upton Tea (www.uptontea.com). Just search for matcha. It is a little pricey…but I like knowing that it’s quality stuff. :-)
I made this cake this morning, and it is pretty! Yummy, too. Thanks!!

March 21, 2009 03:33 PM
127
miniNigella said...

I want it, I need it…..must try….damn it !!

March 21, 2009 07:35 PM
128
Random Things and Our Family Life said...

I will be making this cake asap!

March 22, 2009 02:06 AM
129
krys kirkpatrick said...

Oh my gosh….I have to go bake something right now. I love your blog…..it is on my reader.

March 22, 2009 04:59 AM
130
Becca said...

i love this idea!Im gonna have to try it.
http://bakingmonster.blogspot.com/

March 22, 2009 04:59 AM
131
dessertobsessed said...

OMGOMGOMG!! i just bought a container of matcha!! i MUST go make this right now!!

March 22, 2009 06:45 PM
132
Liz Wilcken said...

I just discovered this amazing fondant site. Check it out. Ok, so it’s not in English, but maybe you might get some more cute ideas for us! http://donalufernandes.blogspot.com/

March 23, 2009 01:06 AM
133
Melanie said...

Love, love, love your site! Lots of great ideas and I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!

March 23, 2009 02:05 AM
134
jodyakimoto said...

Please try some green tea ice cream. You can usually get it in a Japanese restaurant. It is so good, but if you make it yourself do not use the matcha you have, you will need the pure matcha powder (kind of pricey, but so worth it). I buy mine at the Japanese food store. I can’t wait to try this cake it looks so good.

March 23, 2009 03:18 PM
135
Bakerella said...

Anonymous – I don’t know because I don’t have anything to compare to. I’ve never even had it either kind to drink.

Sara – I copy and past the code from flickr’s all sizes page.

Jennifer – I’d say this one was light.

Joy – Awesome. Thanks for the link

dessertobsessed – go for it.

Liz Wilcken – thanks

jodyakimoto – I’ll look for some. Thanks fot the matcha tips.

March 24, 2009 02:03 AM
136
lauri said...

This cake is so pretty…love the colors together. Must try!

March 24, 2009 11:11 PM
137
Julia said...

Hello! I have been following your blog for a while and really love this cake. It looks great. I just bought some green tea powder on the weekend actually, and was looking to incorporate it into my baking. I am making lots of French macarons right now so am thinking of making perhaps a matcha / chocolate macaron combination. Yum!

March 25, 2009 09:18 AM
138
The Holmes Crew said...

Okay, now I’m starving!

March 25, 2009 03:28 PM
139
Spryte said...

Yum! That looks great!

March 25, 2009 05:03 PM
140
Maya said...

Beautiful cake, I have bookmarked Mandy’s post! Great idea to dust the bundt cake pan with cocoa powder.

March 26, 2009 10:44 AM
141
elissa said...

Hi Bakerella! I’m a high school baker and long time lurker of your blog. I made this bundt cake today – it was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.

http://17andbaking.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/chocolate-matcha-bundt-cake-and-a-celebration/

March 27, 2009 06:57 AM
142
ragamuffin child said...

I made this cake this weekend and it turned out really well! It only had to bake for about 45-50 minutes. There was some left till the next day and the green tea taste got much stronger; fresh-baked, the cocoa pretty much overpowered the matcha. Even one of my students liked it. So I know I’ll be making it again!

March 30, 2009 09:20 PM
143
isafetydance said...

I made this cake today, and it is SOO fab! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I made a matcha royal icing glaze to go over it- that made a nice addition (and the color was fun too)!

March 31, 2009 12:34 AM
144
Bakerella said...

Yay – glad all three of you liked it.

March 31, 2009 02:52 AM
145
MissJubilee said...

Wow. This looks delish and relatively easy! I wasn’t sure at first, but was curious and wished I could try it. Lo and behold, my last trip to the tiny baking shop in town here (in China) revealed not one but THREE tins of green powdered tea-looking and -smelling stuff with Japanese labels that I’m hoping is Matcha! The contents were bagged up by 50g weights so I bought a bag and am looking forward to trying it! (If not, I’m lost – between their Chinese, my English, and the package’s Japanese, I’ll never know what it is if it’s not tea, lol!)

March 31, 2009 12:57 PM
146
Bakerella said...

MissJubilee – Here’s hoping it’s matcha!

April 1, 2009 02:05 AM
147
sherry said...

So far I’ve made this twice and both have been a huge success. :D very tasty

April 2, 2009 11:44 AM
148
Bakerella said...

sherry – YAY!!!!!!!!!

April 3, 2009 11:12 PM
149
esrakrc said...

you are incredible :)

April 5, 2009 08:01 AM
150
Bakerella said...

gee, thanks!

April 7, 2009 02:08 AM
151
Cute Italian said...

I tried to find Matcha at my Whole Foods and they didn’t have the kind you have. =( They had the tea- with the leaves, but that’s obviously not what we wanted. Any suggestions on where else to look? And about how much did it cost? Sorry all the questions!!!

April 10, 2009 08:51 PM
152
Bakerella said...

I had trouble finding it, too. Try online.

April 11, 2009 03:59 PM
153
Sherri said...

The twin and I are making this today, and we spent 2.5 days going through gourmet stores looking for matcha. NO LUCK, not even at the Whole Foods! This close to NYC you’d think someone would carry it! *LOL* So I used orange oil instead in the green tea batch. Looks like I’ll be ordering matcha online this week.

Thanks for the recipe! :o)

April 12, 2009 09:00 PM
154
Pamela said...

this cake looks incredibly mouthwatering and i really want to bake it.. but i live in a city at 12,000 feet above sea level.. do i have to tweak this recipe much? and if i do.. can u tell me what i must adjust?
thanks a million!

April 16, 2009 11:12 PM
155
Bakerella said...

Pamela – Good question. I really don’t know since I’ve never had to bake that way.

But…

Here’s a link that might help you.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes2008/high-altitude-baking.html

April 17, 2009 01:20 AM
156
prenks said...

I’ve wanted to make this since I saw the photos. However, I’m in France and have had no luck finding a proper sized bundt pan. I finally lost patience and just made them as cupcakes. And boy am I ever glad I did! They came out beautifully, the colours are gorgeous and they are absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for sharing, this recipe is definitely a keeper!

April 19, 2009 02:09 PM
157
Judy said...

i tried this recipe today and made them into cupcakes. they were soooo yummy! you’re right, they don’t even need frosting! i will definitely be making these again!

April 22, 2009 03:46 AM
158
Bakerella said...

Glad you liked it.

April 23, 2009 12:17 AM
159
dare said...

YOUR SITE IS THE BEST EVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVERRRRRRR!

I LOVVVVVVVVE IT AND TELL ALL MY FRIENDS WEEKLY THAT THEY HAVE TO VISIT!

THANK YOU FOR THE FANTASTIC PICTURES AND INSPIRATION!!!

April 24, 2009 06:14 PM
160
MJ said...

Looks SO GOOD. i’ll def have to try this sometime!

May 12, 2009 09:40 PM
161
Healthy Chocolates... said...

I just tried some chocolates from a company called Top Form Nutrition. They have them at my local grocery store in the nutrition section.
Anyway they have Green Tea, Hoodia, Gurana, and B Vitamins, inside them. They were very good tasting and gave me a boost of energy, supposedly they help with weight loss too.

Through the ingredients and the natural energy they give you. If you get a change i suggest giving them a try, cheers!
http://www.mytopform.com/healthy-chocolate.html

July 10, 2009 05:00 PM
162
Dreamer said...

That cakes looks fantastic – first I thought the green part was made with mint but this matcha tea seems more exciting – definitely gotta try it.

August 2, 2009 08:31 PM
163
Rumela said...

This matcha looks so beautiful with the colors, I'm sure it'll be a big hit with the kids! Nice colors! although I'm to a big fan of matcha, this sure looks yummy! I'm normally the one that will say no to matcha. thank you for shearing your post.

August 17, 2009 01:41 PM
164
puglyfeet said...

I love Matcha. It's my latest *thing*. I've been ordering green tea lattes from Starbucks every chance I get and I'm afraid to admit that I've grown addicted to it. How could I have missed this cake? Matcha cake!

August 25, 2009 07:36 PM
165
Maybe said...

Gorgeous cake !

August 27, 2009 08:53 PM
166
anne said...

Beautiful recipe, I’m seriously considering making this for my wedding coming up in August. It is so delicious!

February 8, 2010 08:54 PM
167
Carla said...

Cake looked great, recipe sounded interesting, chocolate & green tea, why not. Healthy & yummy at the same time. However, when I got to the WET ingredients the creamed batter was until the milk was added, then it separated. Is there a typo in the recipe? Made it THREE times and the same thing happened each time. By the way, everything was absolutely ROOM TEMP. Any help would be appreciated.

March 5, 2010 10:17 PM
168
ohel said...

the cake is so Alice in Wonderland for me! I will look for Matcha my next visit to the local version of Whole-Foods.

March 16, 2010 03:17 AM
169
emi said...

I just made this last night for a small dinner party. Everyone loved it and reached in for second (third even!) helpings. Thanks for this wonderful post!

I have a couple of tips… 1) I was wary when i added the milk into the nicely creamed batter because it made the whole batter really gross-looking – curdled and runny. But fear not, it comes together nicely again when you add the matcha/chocolate mixture together. 2) When it’s time to divide the creamed mixture, it helped to mix it and divide it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the milk will separate quickly and sink to the bottom. I saw someone comment that one batter was more runny than the other – this may have been why. 3) I was curious before I made this if the bundt actually tasted like matcha or if it mostly was just a coloring effect but it definitely tasted like matcha through and through. I loved it.

March 20, 2010 11:21 AM
170
De said...

When I was a kid my mom used to put a box of Pistachio Pudding mix into a White cake mix to make it green, she’d pour the batter into a bundt pan and then scoop brownie batter in the middle of the batter and bake. When you cut into the cake it was green with a brownie center.

This cake reminded me so much of it. :o) I wish my mom still made me Birthday Cakes.

March 21, 2010 06:54 PM
171
michelle said...

i just made this cake today, and half of its already gone!
i think your cocoa powder is better than mine because its way darker than my chocolate batter was, still turned out amazing, so moist and delicious and perfect! <3 it and your cute blog

March 23, 2010 08:52 PM
172
Maggie said...

my mom LOVES marble cake. adn we’re 100% irish so I’m sure she would adore this! But I haven’t a clue where to buy matcha???

April 23, 2010 09:29 PM
173
Jessica Lin said...

Bakerella I hope you can help me! Did anyone else find this cake much too sweet? I wondered because the matcha is powdered green tea mixed with sugar, but I used the exact same brand pictured for the recipe and I found it to be so sweet. Has everyone been using matcha that does not have sugar in it? and do I just lessen the sugar amount to compensate the extra?

May 8, 2010 07:40 PM
174
Nerissa said...

My mom sometimes makes matcha pound cake. It’s really good!

May 15, 2010 01:14 PM
175
Nerissa said...

I made this today but I made cupcakes instead, and I used the leftover to make the cake pops. It’s cool because when you break it up and mix it together it looks like camoflauge. Tasted great! Thanks for teh recipe!

May 15, 2010 09:51 PM
176
MissJubilee said...

Hi,
I just made this cake for the second time! The first time I followed the recipe pretty closely (adding mini-choc chips to the green part), and it was good, but I guess green tea just isn’t my thing. I’ve been wanting to make it again with some sort of variation, but was not satisfied just making the second half vanilla.

This time, I had about a cup of raspberry yoghurt in the fridge, so I used that in place of 3/4 cup of milk. I split the butter/sugar/egg mixture before putting in the milk/yoghurt and also put 1/4 tsp almond in with the raspberry half, instead of the other 1/2 tsp vanilla. Also, some red food coloring to make sure it was really pink. It was pretty good. Next time I’d put in less coloring, as it turned out rather girly-looking for my tastes, but that’s the only thing I’d change. It made the bundt cake and 9 cupcakes, wow.

Cheers!
MissJ

May 25, 2010 10:39 AM
177
Anna Stepanian said...

Hi Bakerella! I think you have a fantastic blog…all your recipes are amazing and you sure know how to bake and decorate! :)

But I would like to as something about this cake…does the tea taste good in the cake? And what does it taste like? Thanks so much! ?anna

June 29, 2010 02:08 PM
178
Eva said...

I made this a couple of times now and it’s FABULOUS!! I sprinkled powder sugar over it just to pretty it up for a special occasion. I couldn’t believe I already had the same cake pan too. I was surprised at how expensive matcha was but we did find several different varieties and prices when purchasing it from a Japanese grocery store. They had the best selection. Thank you for sharing this luscious delight!

June 29, 2010 06:00 PM
179
Jenny said...

I must have over-baked the recipe because I didn’t get the bright green of the Matcha half… The Matcha batter itself was a wonderful colour, but baked and nothing…. any ideas on what might have gone wrong?

July 10, 2010 01:18 AM
180
Lynsey said...

I discovered your website just last week and tried this recipe at the weekend. My fiancé is obsessed with Matcha at the minute, so he was over the moon with this cake. It was absolutely delicious =D

August 27, 2010 04:43 PM
Comment Pages
Random Sweetness
image
image
popshop
Poll

I scream, you scream, we all scream for…

  • Ben & Jerry's (45%, 2,237 Votes)
  • Haagen Dazs (22%, 1,097 Votes)
  • Baskin Robbins (12%, 601 Votes)
  • Breyer's (10%, 504 Votes)
  • Edy's (7%, 330 Votes)
  • Bruster's (3%, 133 Votes)
  • Mayfield (1%, 119 Votes)

Total Voters: 5,020

Loading ... Loading ...
FM Media Survey